Last Bullet Interview: Byran Fontez (March 2016)

Bryan Fontez Interview from Last Bullet a hard rock band from Toronto, Canada.

Last Bullet Interview

– What’s new in the world of Last Bullet?

Well we just released our news single SIN a few months ago which we also filmed and released the video for as well. Right now we’re planning out the rest of our year, we’ve got two more singles that we’ll be releasing this year which we’ll also be filming videos for more than likely.

After that we’ll see what feels right, we’ll more than likely go back into the studio to record a bunch of songs that we’ve been playing live for a while and then repeat the entire process over again.

– How was it to produce the video for Sin?

It was as fun and exciting as it was tiring and exhausting. It involved a lot of work, a lot of planning and then a TON of heavy lifting and setup on the day of all the filming. But at the end of the day it was worth it and we were really happy with the final product. It completely surpassed our expectations.

– Making videos must be a lot of work and still fun to do. How do you look at it?

lol definitely a lot of work, but I look at it as something that’s very necessary and a great piece of content to have as a band. Having great music is one thing but if you can accompany that with a great video then you’re just going to leave an even stronger impression on people who listen to you for the first time.

Music Videos

– How important are music videos in the industry today? How do they compare to videos from 20 years ago?

To be honest with you, they’re probably not as important as they used to be. There is so much content floating around on the internet that it’s hard to keep peoples attention these days. I remember music being defined by the video in a lot of ways when I was growing up. A lot of the time the first time you heard the song was when the video was released so it gave you a sense of imagery that you associate with that song for the rest of your life.

But even though videos may not be as important I’d still argue that they’re a great tool and an amazing piece of marketing to have on your resume. Being in a band is kind of like going to war, the more weapons you have the more likely you are to be victorious. If you’re a good looking group who are naturally gifted performers and you pride your self on your stage show, your energy and charisma, then you’d be stupid not to have as many music videos as possible.

– Do you have any tours coming up in the near future?

We’ve got an East Coast tour of Canada planned for May, then a whole bunch of festivals and big shows throughout the summer, then another tour in September. After that we’ll see what happens or where life takes us.

Life as a musician

– Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?

Sure! But it’s not that exciting. It also depends where you’re touring. Canada is a MUCH larger country with a MUCH smaller population than the US for example so the driving times are 2-3 sometimes 4 times as long between cities. With that said. Our typical day on a Canadian tour looks like this…

Get up, eat whatever free food the hotel provides, drink a lot of coffee, pack your things, check out, get in the van, drive anywhere between 2 to 14 hours and show up at the venue, load out, setup merch, do soundcheck, check into the next hotel, get changed, eat a meal, go to the venue, have a few beers, make some friends and support the other acts, sell some merch, 30 mins before your set start warming up and preparing back stage, blow peoples minds and leave the stage drenched in sweat and sometimes blood, go sell as much merch as possible to afford the hotel and gas, load out all the gear and pack it in the van, pack up the merch, go back to the hotel, talk about the set and where we could have done better, get as much sleep as possible and repeat.

– Without social media could bands today manage to survive?

No. Unless your stage show was soo astronomically, epicly, mind-blowingly, unforgettably amazing, there’s no way in hell that you could properly promote, market and sustain yourself as a band or a business without a presence on social media. Word of mouth is just not powerful enough anymore. It was, but it isn’t now. People do all of their talking and communicating online now.

It just wouldn’t be feasible. I’ve seen bands try to do it and it might work in some ways for a little bit but you’re ultimately sabotaging yourself by not allowing your music to be heard by anyone but those in attendance at your shows and that’s a massive problem. It’s hard enough to be successful when you are everywhere online. Not having any online presence would be just plain stupid.

Essentials

– In your opinion, which album would be essential to have if someone were stranded on a deserted island?

You realize that’s an impossible question to answer? I’m gonna try but I might have to name like 5 albums. In order of importance I would probably say…

Nirvana – Unplugged In New York
Radiohead – In Rainbows
The Beatles – Abbey Road
Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabies To Paralyze
Rage Against The Machine – Self-Titled

– Where do you see music in general going in 100 years from now?

That’s a really great question. I have no fucking clue lol. If we look at music from 100 years ago jazz and elements of blues were probably the most popular as far as mainstream music goes. Right now music seems to be in a weird state where electronic, pop and hip-hop are all kind of fusing together into this electro-hip-pop garbage. I’m not sure what music will look or sound like in 100 years.

I hope people realize that popular music today is turning into disingenuous and fake electronic garbage played and sung by so many artists who don’t actually create anything and can’t play an instrument.

I hope that people realize what they’re listening to and supporting right now is trash and I truly hope that music goes back to it’s roots and that people appreciate real talent, musicianship and creativity for everything that it is.

Musicians and songwriters who can craft lyrics and melodies that make you care about more than getting drunk and partying should be respected a lot more than they are. I pray that the world learns to appreciate real music again, because right now humanity has never had worse taste in music than we do now.

http://www.lastbulletmusic.com/

More Hard Rock Interviews

Last Bullet Interview: Byran Fontez (March 2016)